Beware the beauty: The toxic threat of Israel's Silverleaf Nightshade

The big brown is here. Summer in Israel means a harsh life for living things – including plants. Most plants are now dry and coloring the “big brown” with even more brown, while other plants are in survival mode.

Not to be boring or mundane, nature has a variety of solutions to every condition and every type of weather. Sometimes, humans even unintentionally help nature along by bringing invasive species unknowingly by air, sea, and land from faraway countries.

The Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum Zitani in Hebrew) was brought to Israel from America as seeds in imported cattle food. The Silverleaf grows in large groups mostly in agricultural lands creating big patches that produce plenty of flowers.

The Silverleaf flowers can be seen from far away because they have colorful purple petals and long yellow stamens full of pollen. They are beautiful flowers, attractive and inviting to both smell and touch. But don’t.

Toxic to all

This invasive plant is poisonous and toxic to livestock. The toxic ingredients are found in all parts of the plant, including the innocent looking flowers. The poisonous elements are concentrated mainly in the round fruits of the Silverleaf Nightshade.

The ripe fruits can be eaten by bats and birds without harm. However, for us humans, eating parts of the plant can prove very harmful and even fatal. So, with your safety in mind, when you encounter a patch of the pretty Silverleaf, look but don’t touch.